KQED's Forum - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Live on Forum: Jahari Stampley Family Trio Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

We’re joined in studio for a live performance by the Jahari Stampley Family Trio. Stampley, an award-winning jazz pianist who is known for melding genres like funk, gospel and rock, calls his forthcoming album “What A Time” a sonic reflection of “the quiet stillness of late-night thoughts, the joy of a spontaneous jam, the fire of resistance, and the calm of resolution.” We talk to Stampley about his work, his influences and what it’s like to be in musical conversation with his mom ahead of their appearance at the San Francisco Jazz Festival.

Guests:

Jahari Stampley, piano

D-Erania Stampley, bass, saxophone, synthesizer

Ofri Nahemya, drums

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What is Queer Food? Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

As a food writer and cook himself, John Birdsall often wondered whether there was such a thing as “queer food.” Was it rainbow cupcakes? Quiche? Unicorn frappucinos? In his new book, “What is Queer Food?: How We Served a Revolution” Birdsall examines the complex story of how, through times of fear and persecution, queer people used food to express joy and build community.

Guests:

John Birdsall, author "What is Queer Food?: How We Started a Revolution"

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Deployment of Marines and National Guard to LA Raises New Authoritarianism Concerns Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

Ostensibly to quell anti-ICE protests, President Trump this week mobilized 700 Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. That’s on top of the 2,000 troops he sent over the weekend. The Atlantic’s David Graham calls the deployment a “gesture of authoritarianism.” We’ll talk to Graham and former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Juliette Kayyem about Trump’s intensifying efforts to assert executive power, the strategies at play and what the implications could be for our democracy.

Guests:

Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the Homeland Security Project, Harvard Kennedy School; senior national security analyst, CNN

David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic

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What Protests of the Past Can Teach Us About Protests of Today Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

In the days since President Trump sent the National Guard and Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles, demonstrations against ICE raids have been held across the Bay Area and nationwide. This weekend’s “No Kings” protests, timed to the day of President Trump’s military parade, are expected to draw large crowds across the country. We take this moment to look back at times when protests have been successful instigators of change, and times when protests may have hurt a movement. What does it mean to have a successful protest? Who is the audience and how are they persuaded? And what should demonstrators know in this modern age of surveillance about the risks of hitting the streets and safeguards that can be taken.

Guests:

Omar Wasow, assistant professor of political science, UC Berkeley

Andrew Couts, senior editor overseeing cybersecurity, privacy, policy, national security and surveillance coverage, WIRED

Valeria Ochoa, community organizer, Faith in Action East Bay - one of the organizers of Oakland's Tuesday night interfaith vigil to protest ICE raids

Liliana Soroceanu, organizer, Indivisible SF - one of the organizers of San Francisco's No Kings protest

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The ‘Take It Down Act,’ Explained Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

The federal “Take It Down Act,” signed into law last month, has been hailed as a major step in protecting victims of revenge porn and deepfakes. It passed both chambers of Congress nearly unanimously, but First Amendment watchers have concerns. We take a closer look at the new statute, along with new California laws that also criminalize sexually explicit deepfakes. And we’ll hear how you can protect yourself if you’ve been victimized online.

Related Links:

https://www.wired.com/story/take-it-down-act-law-passes/

https://19thnews.org/2025/05/take-it-down-act-signing-explicit-images/

Guests:

Paresh Dave, Senior Writer, Wired

Jasmine Mithani, Data and Technology Reporter, the 19th

Aisha Wahab, California State Senator, representing the 10th district which includes the cities of Hayward, Union City, Newark, Fremont, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, San Jose and Santa Clara

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SF Parks Alliance Collapse Leaves Residents and Community Groups Scrambling for Answers – And Money Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

The San Francisco Parks Alliance has shut down after revelations that it misspent at least $3.8 million. The organization raised money for the city’s parks and open spaces as well as serving as an umbrella organization for about 80 community groups that managed public parks and projects. Now the Parks Alliance has gone broke and many of those organizations are left stranded with their cash reserves wiped out. Public officials are calling for investigations into where millions of dollars went that should have been spent on parks. We’ll talk about what went wrong, what’s at stake for the city’s outdoor areas, and what could happen next.

Guests:

Joe Eskenazi, managing editor and columnist, Mission Local

Michael Barba, reporter covering government accountability and public safety, San Francisco Chronicle

Ildiko Polony, executive director, Sutro Stewards

Nicola Miner, donor, San Francisco Parks Alliance

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Tijuana River Pollution Reaches Crisis Point in San Diego County, Scientists Warn Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

The South Bay in San Diego County is the site of one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters. Fifty million gallons of untreated sewage and industrial chemicals flow daily into the Tijuana River and out of Imperial Beach. New research connects the waste to worsening air quality, which has been linked with headaches, skin infections and gastrointestinal problems in the local population. We’ll talk about why solutions could be years away.

Guests:

Soumya Karlamangla, national correspondent, The New York Times

Paula Stigler Granados, associate professor in the School of Public Health and head of the Environmental Health Division, San Diego State University

Paloma Aguirre, mayor, Imperial Beach

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Quilt Exhibit at Berkeley Museum Chronicles Black Lives in California Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

Old jeans. Worn shirts. Scraps from flour sacks and homemade dresses. Nothing is too humble for a quilt. In BAMPFA’s new exhibit “Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California,” quilts tell the story of resilience, family, and cultural continuity. The exhibit highlights the quiltmaking skills that many migrants brought with them in the Second Great Migration from 1940-1970—and passed on to their children and other kin, spurring the creation of a new wave of African American quiltmaking. We’ll talk to the curator and a contemporary quiltmaker in Oakland about the exhibit.

Guests:

Ora Clay, member, African American Quilt Guild of Oakland

Elaine Yau, associate curator and academic liaison, BAMPFA – Yau curated the exhibit "Routed West: Twentieth Century African American Quilts in California"

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Trump Deploys National Guard Troops to Los Angeles Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday as part of the Trump administration’s response to clashes between federal immigration officials and protesters following ICE raids of local businesses. Governor Gavin Newsom opposed the deployment, posting on social media Sunday that “Trump is trying to manufacture a crisis in LA County — deploying troops not for order, but to create chaos.” We’ll check in with local reporters and a legal expert about what’s happening on the ground in LA and how ICE sweeps are affecting immigrant communities in California.

Guests:

Saul Gonzalez, co-host, The California Report, KQED

Ahilan Arulanantham, faculty co-director, Center for Immigration Law and Policy, UCLA School of Law - former Legal Director ACLU of Southern California

Gustavo Solis, investigative border reporter, KPBS

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California Rooftop Solar Is at a Crossroads Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

California has been a leader in rooftop solar adoption for years thanks to incentives and compensation programs. But policies from utilities and state lawmakers are removing incentives and making it more expensive for residents to have solar on their homes. Supporters of the changes say the new policies will reduce everyone’s electric bills, but solar advocates say cutting back on rooftop solar will make it harder for California to meet its renewable energy goals. We talk with experts about the future of rooftop solar in California and what this moment means for renewable energy.

Guests:

Sammy Roth, climate columnist, LA Times

Mohit Chha, senior analyst, NRDC

Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president for California, Environmental Working Group

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